


Life is Pain, Pain is Life

by R_4_L



Series: FFXV: There's more than darkness [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Child Abuse, Child Neglect, OC Character Death, Panic Attacks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2020-10-05 06:01:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20484047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/R_4_L/pseuds/R_4_L
Summary: The story behind how Noctis and Prompto met.  Okay, so it's my take on the same old story.  Prompto has had a really tough life so far and Noctis is his only light.  Ignis needs to protect his charge but he more he learns about the young blonde the more he wants to protect him too.Prompto is an abused child please be aware.





	1. One foot in front of the other

Prompto had been four the first time he asked about the barcode on his wrist. The beating was something he hadn't forgotten, but had learned to hide. At nine he had lost the bracelet that covered his wrist on his way home and he had been locked in the basement for two days without food as punishment. They hadn't believed him when he had told them that no one had seen it. He didn't know which was worse the abuse or the neglect. It was during middle school that they had started to leave him for longer and longer periods of time. They must have figured that he was significantly cowed and wouldn't go against their rules. At first it was a couple of days, then a week, then a month. The worst part was that he was never sure when they would leave or come back. He knew they went through his things when he was away from the house. He didn't know what they were looking for. It was the reason he had saved his change and splurged on the waterproof case for his camera. His camera was the only thing he owned that he really cared about. He kept it with him always.

Finding the injured dog on his way home broke his heart. He did his best to take care of the little guy. Two days. He had someone to talk to, to come home to, that was happy to see him for two days. The letter in his mail box from Lady Lunafreya gave him such a sense of pride, but it also caused him his worst panic attack to date. The letter smelled like nothing he ever known. Sweet and clean and beautiful. She knew a lot about him, where he lived, what school he went to, that he took care of her dog. He had to really think about that. How did she know? Was someone watching him? No, that was just stupid. He was a nobody. Reaching into his pocket he realized it had been his bandana. His bandana had his name on it and he had used it to wrap Tiny's leg. If she had his name, that's how she got his address. That's also how she knew which school he went to. She thanked him for taking care of her dog. Well at least he knew that Tiny was safe at home now. Her question about him being friends with the Prince surprised him. He knew who Prince Noctis was, they went to same school, were in the same grade but weren't in the same class. 

He put the letter in his desk, then thought the better of it. Where could he hide it where his parents wouldn't find it? In the end he put it behind the photo on his desk. Holding the letter to his chest, he promised Lady Luna that he would approach the Prince the next day. When he fell flat on face in front of the Prince, he just wanted the ground to swallow him whole. 

"Heavy." Noctis was trying to help him up, but all Prompto heard was how fat he was. 

Prompto had never been the most confident of kids. He had no friends, was pretty much a loner. He watched the Prince from the sidelines, there was no way he could approach him like this. He'd made a promise to Lady Lunafreya that he'd become Prince Noctis' friend. There was no way Prince Noctis, as handsome and as cool as he was, would want some fat freak like Prompto as a friend. He needed to loose weight. Researching the best way to loose weight, Prompto decided that running would not only be the best method for him, but as money was always an issue, it wouldn't cost him anything. Using his camera he documented his progress. Running daily, watching what he ate and observing the Prince. He wanted to approach him, really he did, but he wasn't worthy yet. 

"Two years. It's taken me two years to keep my promise." Prompto took the final picture, it was the first day of high school, "but today's the day." Dressing with care, he got ready for school. He hadn't seen his parents for a couple of weeks and he hoped they stayed gone for a little while yet. The weight loss had been hard but well worth it. His parents hadn't liked it. He still had scars and bruises from the last beating. Three more years. Three more years and he could leave this house and find somewhere else to live


	2. How can he handle that much pain?

Ignis stood by the car and watched the way Prince Noctis smiled. It was unusual enough that the advisor straightened and took note of the young man walking by his side. When the blonde threw an arm around the Prince's neck he had to stop himself from skewering the teen with one of his knives. 

"See ya tomorrow." A jaunty wave and a punch to the shoulder and the blonde rushed off in another direction. 

Ignis stood by the door of the car and held it open. "Your highness," he waited until they were on their way home before asking. "So, who was the young man with you today?"

"Oh, that was Prompto."

Ignis went through his mental catalog. "The name is familiar," he looked in the rear view mirror to meet his charge's eyes.

Noctis looked up from his phone, "Luna wrote about him. Prompto was the one who took care of Pryna when she went missing a couple of years ago. Anyway I guess he used a bandana or something that had his name on it to bind her leg. Luna and her attendant tracked him down and wrote him a thank you note. She wrote me about it too. Wanted to know if I was friends with him." Noctis clutched his phone and stared out the window as they were coming up on the citadel walls, "I didn't have a clue who he was until he introduced himself that week. I remember that he fell, I tried to help him up, but I had been training with Gladiolus that week and my arms were really useless. I kept seeing him after that but I was always surrounded by groupies and he stayed in the background. I just about didn't recognize him when he first approached me at the beginning of this year. He's lost a lot of weight. We've spent lunch together the past couple of weeks, this is the first time he's walked with me to the gate after class." The Prince leaned his chin on his hand, his voice became tight. "I like him Ignis. He doesn't treat me differently."

"Understood." Ignis knew that when he left the Prince that evening he would still have work ahead of him, which was why three hours later he was standing before the door of Clarus Amicitia waiting for admittance.

****

"Mr Scientia, what brings you to my door tonight?" The king's shield and right hand knew that it was something of importance as the Prince's advisor generally didn't show up without an appointment.

"Something happened today and I'd like to have permission to be the one to investigate further."

"You have my curiosity peaked. I know the Prince is alright or you'd be much more stressed."

Ignis sat in the chair across from the elder Amicitia, "I was on duty to pick up the Prince from school. He was smiling and laughing."

Clarus sat back in his chair. He knew how unusual that was for the young Prince. "And the cause?"

"I believe that the cause was a young man named Prompto. We did a preliminary background check on him when we found out that he had rescued Lady Lunafreya's dog a couple of years ago. I would like to do a more in depth check."

"Why not leave it to one of my men?" It wasn't that advisor was unqualified, Clarus just thought that he would have his hands full with a sullen Prince.

Ignis smiled, "it seems that Prince Noctis likes him, which I translates to mean, that he'd like to have the young man as a friend. I don't mean to imply that your men cannot be discreet, but..."

"But you would like someone who is willing to dig a little deeper," he stared at Ignis. The man was a child prodigy from a good family and was the only one, aside from his son, to put up with the Prince. Between the trauma, the injuries, painful therapy, and constant turnover of staff it had been no wonder that Noctis had become withdrawn and sullen, trusting few. Gladiolus had mentioned that it had only been recently that Noctis had even bothered to try in training, and not just going through the motions. "and while being thorough you want to be able to control... what exactly?"

Ignis knew that this was where he needed to step carefully. "It's not that I want to gloss over anything. The guy is a high school student so I doubt that he's some high paid assassin, but he IS a high school student and I don't want him scared off a potential friendship with Royalty because someone got a little overzealous in their investigation."

"Hmm," Clarus thought about what he was asking. "I'll make you a deal. I'll leave it in your hands alone. You can do the background check, but I want access to all information you find and I mean ALL information. I will have final say on his clearance level, but will take your opinion into consideration. I will be informing the King and the Marshal about your investigation, but I am sure that they will let you have the lead on this."

Ignis pushed his glasses up further on his nose. This was likely the best deal he was going to get. He nodded, "that will be fine. May I have access to the file you complied on him prior?"

"His full name?"

"Prompto Argentum."

"I'll have to find the file, but I'll send it to you as soon as I do. On the topic of the Prince, how is he doing?"

Ignis smiled, "I think forcing him to go to a public high school, while a logistical nightmare, has been a positive move. His studies have improved, he's slowly taking responsibility for his life. Gladiolus has reported that while training previous has been more therapeutic, he has started to take his training more seriously. He's still a teen and I despair of ever teaching him how to clean up after himself properly or eat a balanced diet."

Clarus laughed at that, Noctis had never much liked vegetables. "Well keep up the good work."

Ignis made his way back towards his own quarters. Noctis would have finished his training with Gladiolus and had his meal with his father. A quick text confirmed that the young Prince was indeed in his own quarters and yes he was working on his homework and would Ignis just give it a rest for one night. The Royal advisor smiled. Noctis was sounding like a normal teenager. The ping of an incoming email had him looking at his phone again. Clarus had sent Prompto's file. He hoped the kid had no skeleton's in his closet, Noctis needed a friend. A true friend, someone who saw him and not his title.

Over the next week, Ignis had taken over driving duty in hopes of catching sight of the blonde again and talking to him. His break actually came when the Prince had one of his rebellious moments.

"Gladiolus, he's not here." Ignis had waited at the gates for the Prince and when he failed to arrive within the allotted five minute window, he made his way to the office only to find the Prince and Prompto had skipped their last class. "I've tried calling, but he's not answering. GPS suggests that he's north of the school."

"The arcade. He's been bugging me all week at training to let him go to it. Too many exits to make me feel comfortable taking him without a couple of others to watch his back."

Ignis ran to the car, "alright I'm headed there now." He hung up. He didn't need to ask to know that Gladiolus was on his way and would meet him at the arcade. 

Walking into the game parlour, he was greeted with his worse nightmare. Pulling his gloves tight, Ignis had to give the kid credit. The two teens were surrounded by a handful of adults protesting the King's recent treaty work. Prompto was standing in front of the Prince and was trying to talk things down, while edging slowly towards the exit he himself had just come in. The insults and taunt were petty, but the advisor could see that they were starting to get under the Prince's skin. Ignis' first priority was the Prince. He walked through the crowd, the sound of a vehicle pulling up fast let him know that Gladiolus had arrived. He had hoped that they could end this before any violence erupted.

Nope. 

A punch hit the blonde right in the face. Prompto's head snapped back then forward and the kid still kept trying to talk things down, while pushing Noctis further back. Ignis was just impressed that the kid had managed to stay on his feet.

Gladiolus came through a different exit, meet his eyes across the crowd. They'd worked together long enough that entire battle plans could be expressed in a single look. Gladio's entrance didn't go unnoticed. The crowd wanting the Prince's head knew a Royal guard when they saw one. Gladio wasn't subtle and together with Ignis they shoved their way through the bystanders from different angles. The two of them surrounded Noctis and worked quickly to get him out of there. Prompto choose that moment to dodge to the left and make a loud snide comment drawing the crowds attention back towards him. Noctis was pushed into Regalia, "apartment," was all Ignis called out before he climbed behind the wheel and drove away. 

"Prompto." Noctis, scrambled to look out the window searching the crowd for his friend.

"I promise you that Gladiolus will check on him first before meeting us at the apartment. We WILL talk about your blatant disregard for your safety." Ignis let his eye flash in the rear view mirror. 

Noctis was quiet on the ride up the elevator to the apartment. Setting his backpack down, he moved off to his room to change his clothes. Ignis went straight to the kitchen to start on a meal. Food was a good way to calm nerves. Gladiolus entered the apartment just as Ignis was setting the table for the meal.

"Prompto how was he?" Noctis was asking the question before the Shield could even get in the door properly.

"Sit." Ignis pointed to the chair as plates were handed out. He gave Gladio a quick visual check but didn't see any wounds or blood. They'd been lucky. 

Gladiolus sat and rested his elbows on the table, "I went back inside after you were put in the car. Blondie had gotten a few hits in, but had taken quite a few more. He wasn't looking too good. My return scared off most of the guys who wanted your head, it also gave blondie the chance he needed to run. I don't know where he went. Chances are, if he goes to school tomorrow he'll have a nice shiner and some bruises."

Noctis bowed his head. Ignis sighed, "there are reasons behind all decisions that are made regarding your safety. We may not always take the time to explain them in minute detail, but we are not looking to keep you on lock down."

Gladiolus took it as his cue to speak up, "I didn't want to take you to the arcade because of the number of exits it has. The place makes me nervous. I was trying to arrange backup without it seeming like we were invading. I know the whole idea of you going to public school is for you to experience life as regular student, or as close to it as possible but we need to keep a low profile. Bringing three Kingsglaive in full gear would blow that so I was waiting until I could get a couple of them to agree to do it off hours."

"You're going to have make sure that you apologize to your friend. Prompto was the one who took the brunt of that attack. He's the one who lives in that area and will most likely face those men on a daily basis. There is a chance that he will be attacked or ostracized because of his association to you." Ignis didn't want to burden his charge with a lot of guilt, but Noctis needed to understand the consequences of his actions affected others not only him. "He may want to cut ties with you to make his life easier."

The teen looked to his two trusted friends, "I don't have his number. We just hang out at school. I don't even know where he lives." His voice quivered.

Ignis sighed and pushed up his glasses, "I have his address, let me go check on him." He held up a hand to stop the next question he could see brewing. "No, you may not come. Let me deal with this first. If Prompto wants to continue with this relationship, and wants to invite you to his home that will be up to him. This will be me invading his privacy and it will come better from me then from you. I can play the servant or Royal guard angle. I've done so before. You can't." With that the brunette left the room, he'd leave it to Gladiolus to explain that it while it had been Clarus who had done the background checks on his classmates, both he and Ignis had read all the files to be able to asses any threats to the crown.

The drive to the apartment listed as Prompto's address was quick. He was glad that he had taken his car and not the Regalia. The small non-descript black sedan still stood out, but the Regalia would have been a beacon in this neighborhood. The apartments looked to be cared for. There were flowers in front gardens and the building were in good repair. The people might not have a lot of money, but they had pride in where they lived. Ignis parked down the street and walked back towards the small apartment, although looking at it, it really was more of a row house. It was a small distinction, but he was often obsessed over the small details. 

The sound of a cut off scream wasn't overly loud but it drew Ignis' attention as did the accusations coming from inside the small home. Running his eyes over the building, he moved towards the side where he hope for a window or something easier for him to check on Prompto's health. What he saw did not put his mind at ease. The wiry blonde already black and blue from the fight at the arcade was prone on the floor, his shirt tore open and a big man standing over him. No, the man was standing on him, both feet on the blonde's shoulders holding him down. He was using a thin cane against the pale back. Hitting him with each answer.

"Where were you?" The feminine voice drew Ignis' focus to the woman kneeling in front of Prompto was demanding.

"School."

"Who were you with?"

"No one."

"Liar." The sound of the cane hitting flesh had Ignis wincing even from the outside.

"You are two hours late. Why would you be at the school so late?" The man above asked the question as he lifted a foot and then stomped it down.

"Study. Exams." The words were forced out of the blonde on each exhale.

Ignis wanted to barge in there and save the kid, but knew that would only cause more issues. Prompto was covering for Noctis. For some reason he didn't want his parents to know about his budding friendship with the Prince and if this was the treatment he received then Ignis' respect for the blonde just jumped several notches.

"If that's the case why the hell are you so beaten up?"

"I got jumped on my home for money."

The woman reached for Prompto's wallet and opened it. Inside there was his school card and nothing else. "How much they take?"

"I had thirty gil on me." The two adults huffed, "that's why they beat me."

The man got off Prompto and pulled him up by his hair. The punch to the gut was vicious and left the blonde dangling. "To your room. We'll let you know when you can come out again."

Prompto dragged himself up a set of stairs and out of Ignis' sight. Rolling away from the window and leaning against the side of the house the brunette tried to figure out the next move he could make. The voices inside continued.

"I'll call the school in the morning and tell them that he's out sick." It was the woman's voice. 

Ignis knew that at the moment there was nothing that he could do for the young man. Back in the car he drove off towards the Citadel. The first thing he needed to do was get the kid somewhere safe. Could he get him somewhere safe? Did he want to leave? "Fuck!" He hit the steering wheel. He wasn't naive; he knew there were families that weren't perfect. Abuse happened and it didn't matter the social standing. Pulling into his stall at the Citadel he walked by rote to his office. A quick text to Gladiolus to let the other man know he'd be back later, brought on new complications as the Prince sent a flurry of texts about the state of his friend. The only thing that Ignis could do was lie and say that he was fine. He needed a plan, something that he could work on while waiting to talk to Prompto and get his say in it.

It wasn't the first all nighter that he had put in at his office, but it was likely the one he had worked the hardest at. By morning light Ignis had gone through the initial background check and supplemented it with his observations. Prompto had been adopted from an orphanage that had since burnt down and had lost all records. The fire was suspicious but an investigation had found nothing. His adoptive parents both worked and travelled for their jobs. On the surface there was nothing unusual about that. Many families had at least one family member who worked outside of the city. The Argentum's seemed to both work for that same import/export shop, although he wanted to dig deeper there. Ignis wondered how Prompto felt about being left alone so much. Looking at the border documents there were times when the Argentum's had been out of the city for months at a time. Were those good times for the blonde or was he so far under their influence that he was waiting for their return?

School records showed that they had never appeared at any school function or teacher meeting. Prompto's test scores were all well above average, "So not the class genius, but not middle of the pack either. He's smarter then Noctis in a couple of classes, might work in my favor..." Ignis looked over the comments from teachers. The blonde was a shy, insecure child, but tested well and kept to himself. With the recent weight loss, many hoped that he would put himself forward more. He had joined the photography club and showed a lot of promise and passion for the subject. He often joined the cross country running club on their practices but refused to join the club proper. "His camera?" Ignis wondered if he even had one.


	3. Don't say anything Please?

The knock on his door brought the Marshal, Cor Leonis. "Mr Scientia, would you mind telling me why you've requested a new phone? I know that you're phone is still in perfectly good order, so what is the deal?" 

Ignis gave a meaningful glance to the door. Cor huffed, but shut it and moved further into the room. "What's the story?"

"I assume that you are aware of the background check that I am verifying and why?" Ignis knew that Clarus and Cor talked on a regular basis, Clarus would have definitely mentioned it. As one of Cor's trusted men had done the initial report and he had signed off on it, it shouldn't be unfamiliar to the Marshal. 

The Marshal nodded and crossed his arms.

"There was an incident yesterday. I just finished writing up the report and will be filing it with Clarus. Basically Noctis decided in a moment of rebellion to go to the arcade. That in itself is not the issue, except for the fact there was no security with him. When Gladiolus and I reached him there was trouble brewing. Noctis had been backed into a corner and was being protected by his classmate, Prompto. We pulled the Prince out of there and into the safety of the car but when Gladiolus went back to the arcade to check on the friend, the kid had disappeared."

"Fuck, what the hell was he thinking?" Cor speared a hand through his hair. "Any injuries? Anything we need to address?" Was there a public relations nightmare waiting to happen?

"Not on our side." Ignis had a couple of idea bouncing around in his head and perhaps Cor would be the best one to talk them out with. "The only one to get hit was Prompto. He took a couple hits to the face from the guys who were trying to get to the Prince. He'd been trying to talk the group down and might have done it if they hadn't spotted Gladio. He went back for the kid after we had the Prince secure. The kid was being beat in Noctis' stead." Ignis watched as Cor’s eyebrow raised and eyes took on a glint of some inner plan. "Gladio's re-entry pretty much scared off the group but it gave the kid a chance to run. The owner told Gladiolus he'd never had that type of problem before, and that he'd beef up security as that could have been any kid. After getting the Prince back to his apartment, and giving him a pretty good lecture, I went to check on the kid."

"You managed to get inside his place?"

"No, at least not yet." Ignis looked up at the ceiling. "The row house, well the windows were open." Cor was listening waiting for the advisor to continue as the young man got up and paced. "Fuck, Cor. His parents. His father's not a small man. I mean he's not as big as you but he's still big, and Prompto's about the same size as the Prince. They had him on the floor. He was standing on the kid's shoulders. Standing on him! On top of that he was hitting him with a cane for every answer he didn't like. He must have taken five or six hits that I saw before they stopped."

Cor gripped the armrest of the chair. He had seen pictures of Prompto's adoptive father, the man was of average height and not quite muscular or fat. Solid is the word he would use. The mother was shorter but had a strong build to her. Neither one seemed to suit the overweight child that had found Lady Luna's dog three years ago. 

"Cor, he said nothing. Said he'd been at the school studying and then had gotten jumped on his way home for thirty gil to explain the bruises he had." He stood at the window, "I have a message in with the school to let me know when he shows up at school. I want to talk to him, let him know that he has other options. I thought that by giving him a Crownsguard phone, I could keep track of him, with the added bonus of it being secure for when he talks to Noctis."

"Is he safe where he is? If he stays in touch with the Prince, will the Prince be safe with him?"

"I...Cor...I think I have a plan, but I need to talk to Prompto to see what he wants."

Cor was trying to figure out what was rolling around in that head of his. Scientia was a brilliant man and had worked wonders when dealing with the Prince. Gladiolus had nothing but good to say about him and the man was one of the few that could give him a good fight in a sparring match. "Spit it out. What are you thinking?"

"I have an apartment in the same building as the Prince, the floor above. If Prompto is agreeable to it, he can stay in my second bedroom."

"What happens if he doesn't want to?" Cor could see it though, Ignis was already such a strong presence in the Prince's life. He was loathe to call the man a parental figure as he was only two years older then the Prince. He would be a steadfast influence on the young man.

"That's where I may need your help. I know that there are ways to get back and forth through the border without going through the check points but can we delay them or at least flag them so we can give the kid a warning that they're on their way back?" He ran his fingers through his hair.

"It's possible, but that will require more people knowing then I think you want." Cor understood what Ignis was asking, but it wasn't possible. Ignis deflated a little although the momentary lapse was hard to see if you didn't know the man and hadn't been watching him closely like Cor was.

"I know, what it comes down to is the fact that I really need to talk to Prompto and find out what it is that he wants. I was just hoping to give him a couple of options."

"Well regardless, I will get you that phone." Cor stood, "take a couple of hours to sleep before you think to go back to the apartment. I will talk to Clarus about this and between the two of us, we will try to think of something else to help you out. Something to give you another couple of options. Just keep us in the loop." Cor had his own idea. If the kid really had stood there and taken a couple of hits for the Prince and still tried to talk his way out, maybe they should see about getting him in the Glaive training program. One more person that Noctis trusted to protect his back was never a bad thing.

The next couple of days were tense. Prince Noctis went to school anxious to see his friend and came home every evening disappointed when he wasn't there. Ignis told no one else about want he had seen, tidied up his spare room just in case the teen wanted to take him up on the offer. He also did research. Doing his best to keep the book titles concealed from his charge. The three of them were sitting in the Prince's apartment at the end of the school week when the call came. Ignis had just plated up their meal, Gladiolus was reading while the Prince was finishing his homework. Ignis answered his phone.

"Scientia? It's Cor."

"Marshal, what can I do for you?"

"I just got word that the couple we were talking about the other day are out of the country. One passed the eastern border two days ago and the other northern the day prior."

"Shit." Ignis didn't say anything just hung up on the Marshal, "gentlemen I am required elsewhere right now. Supper is ready, Noctis eat your vegetables. Please." He shoved his arms in his jacket and his feet in shoes as he left the apartment.

"What the hell do you think that was about?" Noctis looked up from his homework.

Gladiolus marked his page and closed his book, going over to the stove to pick up the meal Ignis had prepared, "I'm not sure, except that it must be important for Iggy to run out like that. Now watch your language and come eat. Iggy made a wonderful meal and I'm not going to be the one to tell him that some Princess was too spoiled to eat it."

*****

The drive to the row houses seemed to take forever. Ignis pulled up in front of the pale green house and took a precious couple of seconds to compose himself. Patting his pocket in front of the door, he was reassured by the weight of the new phone that already had his, Gladio's and Noctis' numbers programmed in. He knocked. There was no answer. He knocked again. Worry getting the best of him, Ignis tried the door and found it locked. 

"Damn it." He pulled two slim tools from his breast pocket and set about breaking open the lock. When it took longer then he thought it should, he made a mental note to put it on his practice list. Walking inside he called out, "Prompto? Prompto are you here?" He did a quick walk through of the first floor clearing the living room and kitchen in one go, then the bathroom/laundry. Upstairs was the master bedroom, what looked to be a small office, the last room had a padlock on the outside of the door. "Astrals, tell me they didn't," he trailed off, already pulling out his lock picks again. With the lock open, Ignis knocked and called the teens name again. "Prompto?"

Inside was a small bed and desk. At first glance it looked like the bed had been unmade, until he caught a glimpse of blonde hair. Moving to the bed carefully, Ignis kept talking, telling the teen who he was, that Noctis was worried about him. Pushing the blanket back, he could see that the blonde had been awake and listening, but waiting. Ignis crouched in front of him.

"Looks like you could use a shower and few good meals, how would you like go somewhere else for tonight?"

Prompto wasn't an idiot, he knew who the man in front of him was. He was trying to figure out why the Prince's advisor was in his house. At first he thought he was hallucinating again, but when the blankets had moved he hoped he could finally get out of here at least. He was savvy enough to not let the suit fool him. Specs was just as dangerous as the prince's guard dog with the muscles and tattoos. Moving slowly he considered his options. He couldn't escape. "Can you stay here while I shower?" His throat was dry from dehydration and lack of use. He held out his hands, silently asking the other man to cut the bonds. He hadn't been able untie them, they were tight and he was so fucking sore.

Ignis gritted his teeth, and pulled out a knife. He nodded and watched the teen steel himself to stand, gather clothes and walk out the door. The fact that he was walking on his own made the advisor feel a lot better about the situation. Nothing was said about rope on the floor. He followed slowly. "Would it be alright if I made coffee or tea?"

"Yeah there should be something in the kitchen, sorry I'm not sure what I have."

"No problem, you just go shower and meet me there when you are finished. Please don't lock the door, I'll be close in case you need assistance." Ignis waited until the door closed before letting out the breathe he had been holding. Taking a quick photo of the room, rope and all, Ignis closed the door, "son of a bitch," He put water on for tea and then rummaged quickly through the fridge and freezer. With some vegetables that were almost passed their prime, broth cubes and a lone piece of frozen chicken that had seen much better days, Ignis settled in to make soup. 

"Thanks," Prompto said as he sat at the table, bowl of soup in front of him, the Prince's advisor across from him.

Ignis watched him closely, he was favoring the left side of his body. "After you've eaten, I'd like to take a look at your injuries, if you'd let me."

The blonde froze, the spoon halfway to his mouth. He couldn't look up, just stared into the bowl. 

Ignis kept talking, he needed to put the teen at ease, but he also needed to explain. "Prompto. I'm going to tell you what I know happened at the arcade and then we can talk. I know it wasn't your idea to go to the arcade, because Noctis had bugging Gladiolus about it off and on for a week. I know that trouble broke out at the arcade because the Prince had been recognized and you put yourself in front of him. You tried to talk to things around. That was smart. It's always better to try and come to a non-violent resolution if possible." Ignis wanted to make sure he knew they didn't think him a coward for that, "I also know that when the first punch was thrown, it was because the others panicked at the sight of Gladiolus and that you were the one hurt. You stood in front of Noctis and took three hits to the face for him." When Prompto shook his head, Ignis continued, "I know because I saw it. I hope you understand that it wasn't our intention to leave you there. We pulled Noctis out first because it is our sworn duty to protect him with our lives. It may seem like, 'hey it was a fist fight, you could have helped, even Noctis could have stepped in,' the thing was both Gladiolus and I spotted weapons being drawn. If we had stayed there would have been casualties." Ignis took a drink of his tea. Gladiolus had told the Prince about the gun. That had been another blow to their charge. He hadn't seen it. Hadn't realized the danger. "Once we had Noctis safe, Gladiolus went back for you. He intended to bring you back to the Prince's apartment where we could have assessed the damage, fixed you up and then given you both a scathing lecture. Instead Gladiolus watched you take another couple of hits and take off. Noctis has been beside himself for worry about you as he doesn't have your phone number to contact you."

"I don't have a phone." Prompto's voice was small. His eyebrows creased.

"Eat." Ignis pointed to the bowl. "You wondering why I'm telling you this? Prince Noctis considers you his friend and I want you to understand why we did the things we did. You may not know it, but there was a background check done on you when it was found out that you had possession of Lady Lunafreya's dog."

Prompto's gaze shot to the others face. Why would they want to know about him? Some of his confusion must have shown on his face as Ignis continued. "Nothing came of it, but the crown wanted to know who it was that had found the dog, and if it had been part of some plot. An intentional means to get close to the crown. Because of your actions with the Prince these last few weeks, I've been doing a more in depth search as he would like to have you over to apartment. That being said I know your address."

"Obviously," Prompto tried to make light of it. It really did make sense when he had to think about it, chances were someone associated with the Prince would have done a background check on his teacher, classmates, anyone who could and did have access to the Prince. Astrals, but he wouldn't put it past them to do at least a cursory check on everyone in the school.

"Obviously.". Ignis smiled, "I came over that day. I wanted to check on you, make sure that you were alright and if you were agreeable to the idea, take you back to the Prince's apartment. Unfortunately I arrived at a difficult time."

"Shit."

"Language." Ignis' verbal warning was reflective. "I'm sure you can guess. I happened to see your adoptive parents... questioning you." He raised an eyebrow, not quite sure how else to phrase his witnessing the assault. "Please believe me when I say, if I thought for moment that my interfering would have stopped anything, or made anything easier I would have done so."

"NO. Oh by the Six, no. No if they knew that I was talking to the Prince, it would have been that much worse." Prompto's voice was barley a whisper now. 

Ignis just nodded. "I had inquires at the school, waiting for you to come back so I could talk to you."

"So what now. You warn me away from him? Tell me to switch schools?" Prompto voice might have been defensive, but the blonde seemed to folded in on himself. 

Ignis took a chance and decided to leave the idea of moving the teen out for another time. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the phone and slide it across the table. "I have told only the Marshal and the King's Shield as they are the ones I report to and needed to get permission from in order to be the one to control the background check on you. This is a Crownsguard phone. I have three numbers in here at the moment. Mine, Gladiolus and Noctis. It is a secure line. That means your conversations with Noctis are a lot less likely to be hacked."

"You're not warning me away?" Prompto was throughly confused. No one had ever wanted him around before, he wasn't sure what he was do. He sniffed his tea and gave his arm a pinch just to make sure that he wasn't dreaming or hallucinating.

Ignis gave a small smile. "No. I think you would be a good influence on him. What I want to know is what you want to do. I have a number of options for you, but for right now you should know that both of your adoptive parents have been spotted crossing the border out of Insomnia. It is the reason I choose now to come over."

Prompto ducked his head, embarrassed about how much the advisor knew about his life.

"Do you know how long they will be gone?" Ignis was curious if the blonde knew how long they were gone.

"No, I'm never sure." His laugh was bitter, "half the time they don't even tell me they're leaving."

Ignis knew that this was going to be a delicate topic, "do you want to stay here?"

"It's my home. Where else would I go?"

Ignis just nodded. "Alright, about your injuries? May I take a look?" He could see that the black eye had faded to a lovely yellow.

"No, everything is healing okay." Neither mentioned the cost of medical insurance or the unlikelihood of Prompto having any.

"Prompto I would feel much better if you would allow me to look. You are favoring your left side. If you don't want to got to a doctor I do have training as a field medic."

The blonde sighed. He didn't think that it was worth the fight to deny him. He really was having a lot of trouble getting a good breath in, "yeah, okay." He started to lift his shirt but the sharp in take of breath had him stopping.

"Let me help." Ignis was right there, hands at the hem of his shirt. His vision was blurred for a moment as it went over his head but then he could see. "Well, it's colorful." Fingers gently traced along purple ribs. "Now I'd say that you have at least a couple of bruised ribs, possibly cracked. It also looks like your shoulder was dislocated." 

"I can tape them." Prompto had done that before, he'd do it again.

The brunette nodded, "keep the phone and contact me if you need help. At any time. I don't sleep much, so if you need help or even just want to talk, please call me. I do not gossip and while you are Noctis' friend and he is my charge, whatever conversations we may have, stays between us." He took in the bowed head and didn't want to push any further, but was trying to figure out a way to get the blonde to come with him so he could get him to watch him further. "Would you like to return with me to the apartment? I know that the Prince has been anxious about your absence."

"I don't know what I'd say?"

Ignis could see the issue there, "so let me put it a different light. Do you know how you are going to act at school? Because you will be going back." The heavy shoulders showed how much he dreaded it, "I believe that coming to the apartment and talking to Noctis will be a good practice run for what you will have to deal with at school. The bonus is that I will be able to help run interference with Noctis and that Gladio is often quick on the uptake to follow my lead. Also having you over, you can catch up on what class work you have missed and help the Prince with his homework."

In the end Prompto packed not only his school bag but was convinced to take an overnight bag as well. He had convinced Ignis to compromise and wrap his ribs instead of going to the hospital in return for the blonde going to the Prince's apartment. Noctis was so happy to see his friend and so busy apologizing for being such an ass that he didn't ask too many questions as to why Prompto had missed class the past week. 

As Ignis moved into the kitchen, he was glad that both Noctis and Gladio had picked up on his cue to not hug the blonde. That would have been too painful and would have required more explanations than either of them wanted to give at the moment. He took his time to put together a nutritional meal, something that would be filling but still easy on the stomach. 

"What are you making for supper?" Gladio pulled up a stool to bar angled to watch both the teens in the other room and Ignis as he chopped and peeled.

"Beef stew with fresh biscuits."

"Hmm. So that call you got before you went tearing out here. It was about the kid?" 

Ignis looked over the tattooed shoulder of the Prince's Shield to see the teens sitting on the floor playing some video game. "In a way. It is something that I cannot speak about." He had taken a moment while the other were gushing over the blonde, to let the Marshal know that he had found Prompto and had brought him to the apartment.

Ignis tossed the meat into the pot to brown and turned to pulled spices out of the cupboard and therefore missed the way Prompto froze at Gladio's question but the shield hadn't. Kid was a scared rabbit but there was something to him that Gladio liked. "He sticking?"

"Umm. Here for the night, the rest is up to them." Ignis kept adding ingredients and spices. "He has a new phone. I'll make sure that you have his contact information as well. He's got your number."

"Sure." Gladiolus knew that Ignis wasn't going to say anything else about Prompto's situation. The guy had a real sense of loyalty. Gladio didn't miss the way Prompto relaxed when nothing more was said. 

Over the next couple of weeks Prompto became an almost permanent fixture at the Prince's apartment. Ignis didn't talk to him about moving out as there never seemed to be a good time. He was able to convince him to go and see his own doctor about his ribs. Prompto didn't tell him that he didn't have a family doctor, but he did go to the free clinic.


	4. I must protect the Blonde

"By the Six admit it, you just couldn't bare to dim that charming smile." Ignis muttered to himself as he paced his own apartment. He had taken the time to clear out his second bedroom and set it up for the blonde. The new bed, dresser, desk, and chair, he hadn't picked out bedding wanting to let Prompto do that. He just hadn't asked him to move in yet. There had been no sign of the kids parents since Cor had told him they had crossed the border. Prompto hadn't seemed concerned and was worming his way into everyone's heart. Everything that Ignis had found on the kid had come back clean. Clarus wasn't impressed with his parents and was doing a further check there, but he had cleared Prompto. 

During the week Prompto would walk Noctis to the gate and then head home on his own. He refused a ride to his place and Noctis didn't push. The weekends often had the blonde coming over to play video games. Sometimes he'd catch a ride straight from school or walk over later. Ignis insisted on homework first and while Prompto complained just like Noctis, he was the first one to pull out his books, and cajole the Prince into finishing his projects.

"Sir, I have a late meeting at the Citadel tonight, is there anything else that you require before I leave?" Ignis pulled on his suit jacket.

Noctis looked over at his advisor, his friend. "We'll be fine for the night. Prompto can you spend the night?" At the blondes nod Noctis continued, "spend the night at the Citadel, get some sleep, Specs. Please. You've been working hard."

"I'll be back tomorrow by noon." He put on his shoes and left the apartment. He mentioned the change of plan to the guards on duty downstairs.

At the Citadel he made a stop in his office to down another can of Ebony and pick up his notebook before heading off to the office of the Shield. 

"Come." The deep voice answered his knock. It was a large office with a desk and chairs to one end and sitting area to the other. Not seeing the Shield behind the desk, Ignis turned and spied the tall man standing in front of the sofa. The elder Amicitia had his back to the door, but even by his build there was no mistaking who he was. Gladiolus had the same build. Sitting in a chair to the left was Cor Leonis, the current head of the Glaives and Crownsguard Marshal.

"Sir," Ignis closed the door behind him and walked a little further inside.

Clarus moved and revealed that sitting on the sofa was none other then King Regis.

"Your Majesty," Ignis bowed.

"Ignis, come and sit." The King motioned for a chair by Cor. "How is my son?"

"Noctis is doing fine. I left him at his apartment with Prompto. They had finished their school assignments, Noctis had even read a couple of the reports on the last counsel meeting. They were planning a video game marathon. There is a Glaives and two of the Royal guards on duty as I have plans to stay here for the night."

Regis nodded, "and you feel that Prompto's influence has been positive?"

Ignis looked at Cor and raised a eyebrow. The Marshal nodded, so Ignis continued, "After the incident at the arcade, Noctis has been quite a bit more conscious of how his actions might affect others. No one, aside from you three, has learned about the abuse Prompto has suffered at the hands of his parents from me. I'd like to keep it that way. I convinced Prompto to come and visit the Prince when we learned that his parents were out of the country. Partly it was a way for me to gauge just how injured he was and partly to see if he wanted to continue with this relationship. Gladio told me later that Noctis was shocked that his friendship could affect someone negatively. He had never thought of it that way." When the King tilted his head to the side Ignis continued, "I left Gladio to explain that Prompto may not want to remain his friend because of the altercation at the arcade, due to the fact that Prompto has to live in that area, likely see those men, and deal with the rumors. What if they make daily life more difficult for him because they were together? The friendship is still new, it might be easier for Prompto to play off the Prince as a troublesome brat in order to make it through his daily life unscathed. Gladio did an excellent job of showing the prince that not everyone see a friendship with the Crown as beneficial. Noctis apologized for getting him into trouble and asked if he would still be his friend. Prompto was surprised at that. In the days since the blonde has relaxed and he treats the Prince as a regular teen. If I may say, it may be the catalyst we need to motivate his Highness to take his duties more seriously. To understand that not everyone is out get something from him."

Cor leaned back into his chair, "without bringing the teen in and putting him through a rigorous interrogation, I can see no issue regarding this friendship. What I do have issue with is his parents. Both travel for work, and on the surface it feels legitimate, if cold. As the report stated they adopted Prompto from a small orphanage on the border of Tenenbrae and Nifilheim, before immigrating to Lucis. They have operated and import export business for the last twenty years. This is the third location change. They both stayed close to home for the first couple of years of Prompto's life, then his father was the one who started making trips. They are sporadic in time and length. The mother seemed to go on day trips when he was young, close enough that she'd be back by nightfall. It wasn't until Prompto was in middle school that they started leaving him for overnight trips at first building up to weeks at a time. They often travel in opposite directions, buying wares for their shop." The Marshal flipped through the file on his lap. "There is nothing in their travel records or anything else that is a flag of concern on the surface. Just a lot of neglect, unfortunately Prompto most likely isn't the only case of this in the city." The men nodded.

"Ignis, I understand that you gave him a Crownsguard phone?" The King spoke, "why?"

Ignis was smart enough to know that the King already had all the facts, he was wanting Ignis to explain his actions and mindset. "Noctis already sees Prompto as a friend. Giving him a phone enables Noctis a way to contact him where we wouldn't have to worry as much about security for what they say to one another and GPS hacking. I also made sure that he had a way to contact both myself and Gladiolus. My other thought was that since the two of them were often together, the GPS would be another way to track them if Noctis decides to go off grid again."

"Makes sense." Clarus piped up from his seat beside the monarch. "Where is young Argentum living now?"

"He still lives at his home. I have debated about offering my second bedroom as place of sanctuary, but as I'm not sure how he truly feels about his parents I don't want to push too much." Ignis could see the confusion in the eyes of the men he admired so, "I have done some research into the psychology of abuse and while I'm no expert, I am working under the advisement of a couple of people who are. It is hard to understand for outsiders, but as Prompto has lived with this all of his life, he may genuinely love his parents and believe that the abuse is warranted. I'm not saying that it's right, but perhaps a learned behaviour. We are a new aspect to his life, if we start making demands for him to abandon his old life, and bash his parents there is a good chance he will leave Noctis and go back to them. It's a delicate balance and the main reason I refuse to tell the Prince and Gladiolus about his life. Those two have trouble keeping their tempers in check. Prompto knows that I know of his life, and by proxy that you know. I, however, am the only one he sees while you are people of know's of but doesn't have run into on a daily basis. The fact that I am not talking about the abuse to him right now is, I think, a mark in my favor. I have assured him that I would say nothing until he comes to me. If we give him time to become comfortable with us and not force the issue, I believe that Prompto will choose to ask for help if and when he needs it, or at least accept it when offered. Of course all of this is still based on assumptions."

King Regis drummed his fingers on his good knee as he stared at the young advisor. He had taken a chance on Ignis Scientia, the young man had come to him highly recommended as the genius nephew of court friend. Being only a couple of years older then his own son, Ignis had thrown himself into the job of Royal companion when Noctis had been bed ridden. During the Prince's convalescence he had put up with temper tantrums and sullen attitudes and slowly become one of the two people Noctis trusted. He was smart and thoughtful and often worked longer and harder then was strictly necessary. "Alright Ignis, we'll leave it in your hands. Let Cor know if you need anything else otherwise I'm pulling myself out of it. I'll wait until there is something to report, IF there is something to report." Nodding to his advisor and right hand, Regis took his time climbing out of the sofa. Clarus beside him the two men left the office.

"Well Mr Scientia what do you need from me?" Cor looked at the young man to his left. Ignis Scientia may have been the Prince's advisor and child prodigy, but he had also gone through Crownsguard training and was a damn good strategist and fighter.

"If you could let me know when the Argentum's go across the borders like you did earlier, I would appreciate it. I realize that by the time you find out they might already be in town or have been gone for a while and that's alright, but if I know then I can also gauge Prompto's attitude." Having secured the Marshal's help Ignis headed to his own apartment. A quick text to the Prince assured him that everything was fine as he let himself relax for the night.


	5. I'm fine, honest. You don't need to worry about me.

Ignis woke with the first light. Morning was the best time for him to get his personal emails answered and his schedule in order. Prompto had sent a text late last night.

PROMPTO: Noct lost bet will eat veggies all day... no cry

Ignis smiled, well, if having the Prince lose a bet was the only way to get him to eat his vegetables, then Ignis would bone up on his video game play. It was just about noon when he arrived at the apartment he had expected to find a mess of dishes and both boys still asleep on the couch, video game controllers in hand. Given the choice Noctis would stay up all night playing video games. What he found was the apartment fairly clean, dishes clean and drying in the sink. Knocking quietly on the bedroom door he peeked inside to see the Prince asleep in bed. Checking the other rooms he realized that Prompto wasn't there. 

"Noctis, where's Prompto?"

The prince rolled over mumbling as he pulled the covers over his head, "he left last night about two. Something about checking on the house"

He left? A little worried he pulled out his phone and almost dialed the number before hesitating. Why would he need to go and check on the house? He'd only been gone overnight. Ignis wondered I'd he had given his number out to anyone else? He hadn't told him to kept it a secret, had the blonde told his parents about the phone? Had they been the reason for Prompto to go home in the middle of the night? Instead he checked the GPS. 

"By the Six." Ignis was worried now. They'd gotten a little complacent with Prompto's parents being absent these last two weeks. Was he safe? Could he go and check? The ringing of his phone and his conversation with Cor settled matters. He dialed another number, praying the other man would answer.

"Ignis hey man."

"Gladio, I am in need of a favor. I need you to watch Prince Noctis today."

"Sure, give me a couple of hours..."

"Now Gladio." Ignis knew that his voice was breaking but he was worried for Prompto's safety.

"Ignis, what's going on? Are you ok?"

"Listen, I need to be someplace else right now and I can't leave Noctis." Ignis could hear Clarus on the other end, arguing with his son. 

The elder Amicitia pulled the phone away from his son. "Ignis. It's Clarus, go, I just got off the phone with Cor. Noctis will be looked after, don't worry. I'll have him moved to the Citadel for the time being. Do what you have to, just call me when you're safe."

Ignis hung up the phone and ran. Clarus would make sure that Noctis was safe, there were still Kingsglaive in the building. He sent them a quick text to watch the Prince as he left the building. He knew that he was failing at his job, his duty to his Prince, but he had a feeling that if he didn't go now that Prompto wouldn't be alive later. He drove a little recklessly but got to the far side of town in record time. Parking around the corner, he took a couple of precious seconds to steady his breathing before approaching the row house. His Glaive training coming back to him as he kept low and to the shadows. It was mid morning and most people had already left for the work day. Ignis moved quickly and quietly, he didn't want to be seen, but he needed to know what was going on inside that house. Leaning against the wall, hidden by the outer wall he closed his eyes to remember the layout. There was the bathroom on the main floor just to his left. Rolling up on his shoulder to peek inside he saw that the door was closed and that the room was empty. Using his jimmy sticks, the Royal advisor opened the window and climbed inside. Pulling his dagger to hand he crept to the door, straining to hear any sound from the other room. He nearly tripped over the packed duffle bags by the front door, the sound of dull thuds drew his attention and he started towards the back hall. The sight before him had him freezing for a split second. 

"By the Six, you're killing him." 

Prompto was lying unconscious on the floor, not moving as his father kicked him repeatedly in the stomach and head.

"Who the fuck are you?" The large man turned at the intrusion, seeing a stranger with a dagger in his hand, he lifted his own holding a gun and shot.

Ignis didn't feel bad as he let his blade fly. The hit was clean and straight to the middle of the forehead throwing the older man onto his back. He wouldn't be getting up. Moving to the downed blonde, Ignis pulled his glove off and checked for a pulse. He let out a breathe he didn't know he'd been holding when he felt the thready beat beneath his fingers. Keeping his hand against the pale neck he used his other hand to pull out his phone and call Clarus.

"Clarus, I'm afraid I had to take matters into my own hands. I will need medical transport at the Argentum's home. As well as a trusted Glaive or two to deal the after math."

"How bad is it?" Clarus looked up and met his son's eyes and then walked out of the room. It was hard to keep things away from his son, especially when they dealt with his friends but this was different. Moving into his office he locked the door behind him, knowing full well that Gladiolus would try to follow. 

"Prompto is unresponsive, but alive. I'm afraid to move him. His father had been beating him; I don't know how long, but there are bruises already forming. His stomach is slightly swollen and a couple of his ribs are moveable, so I am assuming internal injuries, broken ribs, and a concussion." 

Clarus enabled his Bluetooth earpiece and sent a text to the medical team that was on call for the Glaives. "I have the Glaive medical team on their way. I'm also texting Cor, what about Prompto's father?"

"He won't be an issue."

Clarus closed his eyes and sighed. He knew that Ignis had the training, but he always struggled with the fallout of taking a life in the line of duty. "I'll take care of it." He booted up his computer to start on the necessary paperwork for when the Glaive needed to intervene in public life when his phone buzzed. "Cor is on his way. He says he's got a couple of men with him. Let them know what you need them to do and stay with Prompto. Noctis is on his way to the Citadel for now. I made the excuse of council meetings coming up and time with his father to get him here." Clarus knew that he was babbling but he wanted Ignis' attention on anything but the dead man, most likely still in the room with him and the injured boy. His fingers flew over the keyboard sending texts to the Prince's guards and the King, finding reports and forms that he would need to fill out once he had more details. He'd keep talking until Cor arrived. Most of his conversation revolved around the plans he knew Sceintia had in mind for living arrangements for the teen. The sound in the background and Cor's voice assured him that the two were safe until he could see them. "Ignis, I will meet you at the medical wing." The pounding on his door told him that his son wasn't going to held off for much longer. With a sigh he got up and unlocked his door.

"What the hell is going on Dad?" Gladiolus was confused, first his father had stolen his phone when Ignis had called a couple of hours ago, then he goes and rushes to move Noctis out of his apartment and into the Citadel with some trumped idea of spending time with his father. He'd gotten the text from Noct asking about the change in plans. He had backed his father up because of how stressed out Ignis had sounded. Instead of rushing to the Prince's side he had stayed at the house and argued with his father. Something was going on and he wanted to know what. He was the Prince's shield for fuck sake, not his father.

"I'm sorry Glaiolus, but this is something that I can't explain just yet."

"Dad, I'm the shield for Noctis, you can't just come in and take over whenever you feel like it."

"And I'm not. What I am is the shield for the King and still your boss. Look, Gladiolus, I'm not trying to hide things from you but this is where you're going to have to trust me. This had nothing to do with Noctis except for the fact that Ignis needed someone to cover for him because of a project that he has taken on for me. I ask that you don't bother him for details just yet, it's a bit of a delicate situation. If nothing else trust in Ignis."

Gladio looked at his father and debated. There were times when working under his father sucked, because he was right . His father had done nothing except take over a phone call when Ignis needed help. "Fine, is Ignis going to be back on schedule tomorrow?"

Clarus just shrugged, "I need to go and check on some things, hopefully I'll be able to give you more information later." He walked out of the room so he could meet the man in question at medical.

*****

"Ignis!" Cor pounded on the door of the row house. He had four Glaives at his back, and his frustration was growing with each second the door remained closed. Clarus had told him that Ignis was safe, so why the hell wasn't he answering the door.

"I got this sir," Tredd Furia moved in front and worked quickly to pick the lock. 

Crowe stood, guarding the door while the others went with Cor inside.

"Ignis?" Cor called out again.

"Back hallway." 

Cor moved quickly towards the voice, while signaling to Tredd and Nyx to check out the rest of the house. Pelna followed the Marshal. Spying Ignis, Cor could see his worry, young Prompto lay on the floor he was badly beaten. He looked shell shocked but at least he was awake. Kneeling on the other side he asked, "how is he?"

"He woke up after I hung up. I still don't want to move him much." Ignis kept his body between the young man and the body lying behind him.

"I'm fine." Prompto tried to move, but Cor pushed him back with a raised eyebrow, "okay so maybe a broken bone or two, but nothing to warrant having the Immortal here."

Cor couldn't stop the smirk at that stupid nickname. "That may be, but you will be taken to the medical wing regardless. There's a good chance you have a concussion for sure and possibly some internal injuries."

Prompto started to fidget, he hated doctors aside from having to hide the abuse there were other things he needed to keep secret. He knew his blood work should pass, it was X-rays and other scans that had him worried.

"Med team's here." The dark haired woman spoke quietly bringing attention to the sound of another vehicle pulling up.

"Ignis?" Prompto's voice wavered and panic set in.

"Relax. Just breathe Prompto. I'll go with you and stay with you as long as I'm able." Ignis ran a hand through the blonde hair trying to get the teen to focus on him and calm his breathing pattern.

It wasn't long before he was loaded on the gurney and rushed to the back of a van, Ignis at his side. The advisor was sending off a flurry of texts to Cor asking for specific things to be done. He wasn't trying to tell the Marshal how to do his job, it was just that he was more familiar with the family at this point and didn't want things overlooked. The bags Ignis had nearly tripped over were to be taken to back to the Citadel, Cor could examine the contents. A bag for the teen needed to be packed as well as his camera and school work and taken to the apartment Ignis had in the city. The body needed to be removed and the blood stains cleaned before Prompto could be allowed to go home. If he went home. After that, provided Cor's team didn't find anything else, Ignis wanted to make sure that the house was secured against possible vandalism and theft. He would see to everything else as soon as Prompto was out of immediate danger.

The medical staff was efficiency at their best. His injuries thankfully weren't as extensive as they first appeared. Busted ribs were a given, as was the concussion, after that the most surprising thing was a dislocated hip. He was definitely spending a couple of night in the hospital for observation. When the nurse tried to remove the leather band around his wrist, he panicked. It was so bad that Ignis intervened.

"Leave the bracelet, it's not interfering in anything that you need to do is it?" Ignis demanded, and the nurse shook her head, "then there is no need to stress Prompto out further." The advisor turned to his back to the nurse, effectively dismissed the woman, his focus now on the teen who had gone deathly pale and shaky. Ignis used his arms to cage the blonde in, bringing his own face close to the pale freckled one. Speaking low and calmly, Ignis called out to him. "Prompto, Prompto. I'm here, they won't touch you. I'll make sure you're safe. Prompto just breathe for me sweetheart." The endearment slipped out without thought. There was sound of the door opening behind him but he ignored in favor of calming Prompto down. He continued crooning and slowly he could see the blonde relax back into himself.

"My bracelet!" The worried phrase had Ignis grabbing the blondes right arm to bring up to his face, regardless of slurring from fatigue and the sedatives they had given him.

"It's still on, they won't touch it. I promise." Ignis watched the way those blue eyes focused on the worn black leather and how the panic bled out. 

"You'll stay?" The timid voice was back and Ignis didn't like it. Prompto's hold on his hand was tight, broadcasting his nerves. His eyes drifting closed no matter how hard he tried to fight.

"I'll stay. Sleep." Ignis sat on the edge of the bed, eyes on the blondes face until the hand in his went lax. It was like turning off a switch, the sedatives finally did their job. Moving to sit in one of the chairs by the bed he was surprised to see Gladio standing just inside the door. He didn't say anything just held out a can of ebony.

Ignis just sighed and pushed up his glasses. Checking on Prompto once more, he followed the Shield out the door and into the hallway. "How did you find out?" It wasn't actually surprising that he did, but Ignis was the advisor to the king and if there was a security breach then it was something that he needed to deal with.

"I was pissed at Dad, after he took away my phone during our conversation we had a bit of a...talk. I was leaving the training room working off the aggression from Dad and his 'I'm your boss' attitude when a number of Glaive came in. Pelna asked me why I was there and not with you in the medical wing. 'After all it was the Prince's boy toy that was hospitalized' were his exact words. Although to be fair the he got a smack from Crowe with the threat of more." Gladio leaned against the hospital wall. "So aside from teaching the Glaives the reason secret missions are secret, what's going on with Prompto." The shield looked towards the closed door he had seen the bandages and the bruises they couldn't hide, "this will kill Noctis you know that, right?"

The ebony tasted wonderful and Ignis took the moment to savor the flavor. "It's not my place to say," he cocked an eyebrow at Gladio when the larger man opened his mouth to complain. "Listen Gladio, this is Prompto's private life we're talking about here. I only know by fluke and because it's my job to make sure that background checks are done. It was an accident that I found out. I promised him that I would tell no more people then I had to. I hate the fact that some of the Glaives were brought in, but there was no help for it today. Please respect Prompto and wait for him to come to you about it if he ever does." Looking down the hallway Ignis knew that he needed to address the breach in protocol before things got too out of hand. "We all have our secrets, allow him his. This one is not a security breach, he has been cleared. I'm going to deal with the Glaives, can you stand watch outside until I get back?"

Gladio nodded and sat in one of the hospital's uncomfortable chairs. He watched as his best friend pulled out his phone already dialing. Damn but he wanted to be a fly on the wall when Ignis gave the Glaive shit. He didn't look all that tough in his suits and ties but Gladiolus knew better then most just how well Ignis could kick their collective asses. After all the two of them trained together almost daily and it was a toss up daily as to who won


	6. You'll regret it if you piss off Ignis

Ignis was fuming, he stood in the training room with the four Glaives that had just been with him in the front and the rest behind. Cor was standing beside him and Clarus and King Regis were in the observation box. Cor had called those two right after he had gotten off the phone with Ignis. He didn't know what type of call Cor had put out to get all Kingsglaive not on mission to show up within five minutes, but it was damn impressive.

"It seems that there a few of you who have no problem sharing mission details with others." Ignis stood tall and watched the main four he was concerned with. He noted which of the Glaives had confused looks and which looked guilty. "It seems that I need to remind you that each and every mission you are assigned is assigned to you because it is considered top secret and borders on national security measures. We do NOT bring in Glaives for paltry low ranked missions. Those we can give to the Royal Guard. You were chosen to be Glaives not only because of your physical abilities but also because we can trust you to keep you mouths shut and not spread rumors." His eyes roamed each face, watching for tells he knew they all had, "If you need to talk about what you saw on the mission you have only three options. First: is to talk to one of mental health professionals on staff for the Glaives, they are ex Glaives themselves and have dealt with damn near everything you have seen. Secondly: you can talk to your commander. Cor isn't just here for training, he can direct you when you need aid no matter what type, he has a staff of trusted professionals at his disposal. Thirdly: is to talk to the Glaives that were on the same mission, and ONLY those Glaives. They saw what you did and if you are having trouble with something then there is a good chance that they can either help you over it or have the same concerns and as a group you can then bring the issue forth." Ignis pulled off his glasses to polish them, "what you may NOT do is talk were you can be overheard or to those who weren't there. Each mission no matter how quickly put together is done so with us choosing the best one of you to fit the mission. We're not going to put Nyx, for example, in a mission that has him fighting long range with magic if there is spot for guerrilla tactics. We know your strengths and play to them."

"Excuse me sir," the voice from the back interrupted, but at least it was respectful and Ignis had to give the man credit he didn't flinch when pierced with his stare, "this is part of the Glaive oath. May I ask why it is being brought up again?"

"Libertus, isn't it?" At the man's nod Ignis watched a number of the others swallow thickly, they didn't know who Ignis was aside from the fact he was Prince's advisor, that he knew their names was a surprise. "It is being brought up because there was a major breach in procedure. The last mission was explained in detail to someone who not only wasn't on the mission but also had no idea that there was even a concern. Unbeknownst to either of them, the conversation was also overheard by one of the palace staff. Now the first person needs to be debriefed on a situation they weren't involved in as it could potentially be a security issue. As for the palace staff member, they have acknowledged to having overheard a lot of past missions. It is one of the reasons they keep requesting duty in this area. They want to protect the Royal family as much as you do but they don't have the physical ability. What they do have is the presence of mind to keep what they hear to themselves. What that means for us, is that I now have to schedule a hundred plus interviews to see which of the other palace staff have overheard comments and what has been done with that information." Ignis watched as many of the Glaives flinched, "Cor will be going over past missions to see if a possible breach of protocol has caused missions to fail or been responsible for injury or death." The advisor heard a small scoff at the last word and would have gone on if Cor hadn't interjected.

Cor pointed to a plaque by the door of the training room. It held the names of their fallen comrades. "If you don't think it hasn't happened before then please remember Trin, he was a damn good Glaive and deserved more then being ambushed on a routine information gathering mission last year. Yes the mission was dangerous, all of them are. He was ambushed before he even reached his destination, because someone in the Glaives had talked in a public bar about the route they had seen in the mission details. There is the possibility that each name on there is there because of someone not thinking and speaking a little too freely. If you need something more dire then think of the attack that almost took life of Prince Noctis. That was because a spy had infiltrated the staff and had gotten close to not only the Prince's nanny but also a couple of the guards. We almost lost our King and his son because of loose lips. While the details you talk about may not seem important to you, you need to remember that there is a much larger picture at play and you are but a piece on the board. We all are."

"We don't know which card will bring down the house or reinforce it." Crowe's comment, under her breath though is was, was heard by the entire room.

"Exactly. The Kingsglaives are the final line of defense of the crown, let's not make it a weak one. Now that Mr Scientia has made his point, we have training to return to." Cor walked in front of the Prince's advisor, "and we are going to to do some serious training." From the smile on his face and the look in his eye, the Glaives knew they were about to get their collective asses kicked. 

Of course in every group there is always one who couldn't keep their mouths shut, and as Ignis turned to leave, the comment about the sissy assed boy in a suit couldn't be left unaddressed. Cor sighed but otherwise didn't make a move or a sound when a dagger flew past his face to land in between the feet of the loudmouth Glaive. He noted which of the Glaives kept their eyes forward and which bobbled to see where the knife had come from. 

"It seems that you have not only have an apology to make but also perhaps some one on one training to do with me, so we can show you the error of your ways." Cor listened to the door close behind the bespectacled man and the dagger disappear.

Clarus and the King met Ignis at the end of the hallway. "Ignis," King Regis wanted to reach out to the young man who was so vital to his son, and had become a member of his family.

Ignis bowed deep, "I apologize for my failure to anticipate this scenario."

Clarus clapped the young man on the shoulder, he didn't have to hold himself to the same standards as the King, "That scenario is one that is NOT under your care. It is something that Cor needs to address and he will. You will also hand over the interviews of the palace staff to me as that falls under my jurisdiction. Who was told?" He was trying to figure out who they may need to talk to.

"Gladio. He was asked why he wasn't with Prompto and myself in the medical wing. I have told Gladio nothing and although he's now standing outside Prompto's room he's given me his word that he won't go in. Serne is on the cleaning staff and she is the one that has overheard a lot of comments. I believe that she is married to one of the Royal guard." 

"I'll handle Serne, go and take care of Prompto and yourself. Come back to us if you need anything." Clarus felt for his son.


	7. The future is starting to look a little brighter with you in it

Prompto tried to lay as still as possible, but everything hurt. They were keeping him for three nights. Ignis, true to his word, stayed by his side, the entire time. It had been Ignis who had broken the news of his mother's death. She had been killed five weeks prior in a deal gone wrong, Ignis was trying to find out the details. Prompto figured it had been her death that had caused his father to fly into a rage. Ignis had also told him that his father was dead. Hearing that Ignis had killed the man to protect him was a bit of a shock. He knew that his father had a gun that night, he'd shot at him to scare him before he started in on the beating. He didn't cry over his father's death, nor did he blame Ignis for it. All he could think about was the fact that he was safe. They hadn't really cared for him for a long time. He hadn't really wished them dead; more that he wished if they couldn't love him that they would at least leave him alone. 

The light woke him, not that he was really sleeping all that well. The bed wasn't all that comfortable and every move still caused him some pain. The feeling of a cloth on his forehead had him jolting upright. "What? Who's there?"

"Relax Prompto, it's just me Ignis." The brunette moved out of the window and into the blonde's line of sight. "If you will let me help you to sit up, the nurses say that you can have some water." He moved to help the blonde sit up, and glass of water and straw in hand. "Small sips. I have some soup and a sandwich that you can have if you're feeling up to it. I made them both fresh this morning, the soup should still be fairly warm."

"Thank you." Prompto couldn't meet the man's eyes, how could he, he was worthless and Ignis had seen just how much of a loser he was. "Do you know when they will let me go home?"

He arranged the food on the rolling table in front of Prompto. "That's something we will need to talk about." Ignis pulled up a chair, "you are a minor and right now you have no living relatives. I know you told me that your parents were away for long periods of time and that you took care of yourself. That's not an ideal situation, and if I let you go back to that, I'm afraid that social services will get involved." Ignis hated the look of utter despair that he caused, "what I do have for you is two options. The first is contacting social services and getting you placed in a foster home. The second has I guess two options in itself. You could come and live with either myself or Cor who has also offered to take you in. I should let you know that Clarus also offered, but then decided that if you want to keep this from Gladio and Iris that having you suddenly move in would require an explanation. Both Cor and I live alone and there is room for you in our apartments. As you know, I have the apartment right above Prince Noctis. Cor lives some distance away in the opposite direction where he is closer to the Kingsglaive training compound."

Prompto shuddered, "I don't want to go into the system. You don't know where you'll end up or who with." He tilted his head to the side as he thought, "I'm not sure about Cor, I mean living with Cor the Immortal? I'd be too scared to touch anything least he kill me."

"Prompto, I can help with social services to make sure that it's a good and safe place and Cor won't kill you if you touch anything." He smiled at the blondes overreaction .

"Is staying with you really an option? I mean I know you and everything." 

"Of course you can," Ignis smiled it was what he had hoped for, "Gladio often comes by, we get together to talk about Noctis and to train. We've been friends a really long time, so we often hang out in our spare time."

"So Gladio will know that I'm there." He didn't want the large man to look down on him. He was just starting to feel comfortable with Noctis' two retainers. "By default so will Noct."

"There is no judgement, Prompto." Ignis moved the tray, Prompto had eaten everything. "Even if all you want to tell both of them is that your parents are gone and you needed somewhere else to stay." He let Prompto think that over, after all it wasn't a complete lie. 

"As much as I don't want anyone to know I also know that staying with you is my best bet." Prompto voice was so sullen and gray.

Ignis hated the sound, he needed to let Prompto know that there was always hope, "Prompto we'll figure this out together, don't worry."

They spent the next couple of hours talking about the logistics of Prompto moving in. When asked he said he wanted to sell the house. Ignis the arranged for everything, except Prompto's room to be packed up and put into storage. Prompto's belongings were moved into the second bedroom in Sceintia's apartment. 

Surprisingly the two men got along well. There were times Ignis swore he still lived alone. Prompto did his best to stay in the second bedroom and aside from his shoes he tried not to leave anything in scattered around the apartment. Ignis wondered if the years of abuse had trained the blonde to keep everything hidden, to leave no mess, no trace of his existence. Ignis knew Prompto still had some issues to work through. He made sure to get Prompto into see a therapist, and then because he wasn't a hypocrite, made a number of appointments for himself. They'd get through this together and Prompto would be stronger for it. 

Prompto was a little nervous around the apartment. He wanted to keep his impact on the advisor to a minimal. He didn't want Ignis to ever have a reason to regret taking him in. He kept his room spotless, but that was an ingrained habit, and tried to help wth chores around the rest of the house. The first time Gladio came over, he stayed in his bedroom and panicked trying not to make a noise.

Gladio looked at the closed door and then at Ignis. "He does know, I know he lives here right?" His voice was just above a whisper. 

Ignis just shrugged, "he's nervous."

With the help of his therapist, Prompto realized how silly it had been to hide, the next night he sat Gladio and Noct down to let them know his parents had died in separate accidents and he was living with Ignis until he came of age.

Gladio knew there was something else behind the story then what Prompto was saying. He wasn't sure if he should push or not. He also knew from the way Prompto had talked about his adoptive parents that the relationship wasn't good. He wondered how they died and was about to ask when Ignis gave a sharp shake of his head. He wondered if the kid even knew? Thinking about it, he never asked who was blondie's legal guardian, it couldn't be Ignis because they were too close in age. He wouldn't have been made a ward of the state because then he go straight into the foster care system. It had to be someone they knew, someone Iggy trusted. Both the King and his own father were out more because of having to deal with line of succession then the desire to help the kid. He 'd have to think on it some more and maybe see if he could corner Ignis later to get the whole story, but at the moment he had a nervous kid to settle. Shaking his head Gladio figured that the best way to deal with things was to ignore it for now. He would talk to Prompto on his own later. "Ok blondie you know where we are if you need to talk to us." Of course he also knew that Ignis didn't leave a lot to chance and the boy was likely already lined up to talk to a therapist.

Gladio had a chance later that week to corner the blonde, when he went to go pick the boys at the school. There had been a last minute change in schedule and Noctis was needed at the Citadel which meant that Prompto had no where to go right at that moment except back to Ignis' apartment. 

"I'll see ya later Prom." The car door was opened and Noctis left in the care of the Royal guard, leaving the blonde in the car with the shield.

Gladio made a snap decision, "I was going to go work out until Noctis was finished. Why don't you come with me and I'll start teaching you the basics." He didn't know the extent of the injuries Prompto had suffered, but the kid had been moving around well enough the last couple of days that he could maybe do a light work out.

"Why?"

"Why not. You are the Prince's best friend. You proved yourself back at the arcade a couple of months ago. If you had a little more training I think we could get you into the Crownsguard or the Glaives." He could see the shock on the blondes face, "with me and Ignis training you, we can get you up to speed quickly but it's going to be work."

"I guess, I mean I don't know what you think I could do. I mean I'm not strong like you or all that smart." He blindly followed Gladiolus down hallway after hallway.

They were going to have work on the blonde's self confidence. "What you are going to be is unexpected." checking the time Gladio smiled and led the way to training room four, "come on we should be just in time." Opening the door to the viewing box he was glad to see the pair still sparing on the floor below. "Watch. They're not using the King's magic because it's always better to have your skills engrained instead of relying on tools and magic as they can fail."

"Shit, isn't that Iris? Why is she training for fighting?" Prompto watched as the young girl sparred with a grown man. He only knew who she was because of the photos around the Prince's apartment.

"She's an Amicitia and that means she's a Shield for the crown. She may not be fighting now, but her training can help protect her and others and buy her some time if she was ever in danger. It also gives her the confidence to spot danger. Nyx is the one sparring with her right now and he's not really holding a lot back." Gladio watched the way his sister tagged the Hero. Nyx just grinned and moved faster. "He's trying to get her to think outside of the norm, to spot tells and blind spots. Iris is great with throwing daggers like Ignis, that might be something to think of for you. We can try you out on different weapons to see where you skills are but it doesn't hurt to at least be familiar with a multitude of arms." Gladio lead the teen back down to the change rooms, grabbing a key and bag from the attendant. He was glad he had thought to ask for these weeks ago when Prompto had been in the hospital. "The card is to give you access to the training and changing rooms. The key is for your locker, it's between the one Ignis and I use. The bag here has workout gear for all Glaives. I know you're not a Glaive but Cor has given you permission to come and work out as long as you're with one of us. " He gave the kid time to change, watching he could see the bruises on his chest were a mottled green-yellow. "I'll give you a tour and we can work out."

The training center was huge there were four large rooms with a variety of environments for sparring, a gym with all the workout equipment you could think of, an outside a track, obstacle course and gun range.

***

"Prompto, I want to see you in my office." Cor yelled down from the observation deck to where Prompto had been sparring with Ignis, while Noctis trained against Gladio.

Swallowing thickly, Prompto moved quickly to meet the Marshal at his office. Knocking on the door he waited for permission to enter. "You wanted to see me sir?"

Cor leaned against his desk, he didn't want to terrorize the guy by sitting behind his desk. "You've been training with Ignis and Gladio for the last what two, three months?"

"Just about three sir," Prompto answered.

"Right, so when are you going to apply for the Glaive training?" Cor crossed his arms and watched the shocked look pass over the blonde's face. "The training Ignis and Gladio are giving is a good basis, but I don't want you to learn all of their bad habits. The only way to really counter that is for you to train with multiple instructors. Here's the application form. I expect to see it on my desk tomorrow morning. Fill it out to the best of your ability. Classes start next week. I will text you the schedule." Picking up the sheaf of paper from his desk, he handed it over. "Don't disappoint me. Now I believe that Ignis will be looking for you soon." Moving behind his desk he dismissed the teen, waiting until the door closed to smirk, he couldn't wait to see that boy in training.

Prompto handed in the paperwork in the next morning and although there were blanks on the application he was excited to start his training. It was going to be tough, Ignis had demanded that his school work still maintain a good average on top of the Glaive training. Noct had told him once he aced everything he start on the Crownsguard training. Prompto didn't know which made him more nervous. 

The first day of training had Prompto scared down to his bone. There were thirteen other cadets and somehow, they all knew that he was friends with Noctis. He needed to prove himself to the instructors and his classmates that he wasn't expecting special treatment. He wasn't going to ride on the Prince's coat tails, this was something he was going to take seriously. Slowly they came around, and began to see him as just another cadet. That is until the Marshal's class.

"Faster cadet." Cor's voice was behind Prompto and he made his way through the obstacle course. "I've seen you do faster, so do it faster." Making over the finish line, Prompto collapsed in exhaustion. "Get up. You're doing once more and I want a better time." Cor moved off to the start line as Prompto pulled himself to his feet.

"What the hell man, is he trying to kill you?"

Prompto just flashed a grin and moved off to the start line ready to run it again. He managed to better his time but only by a couple of seconds.

The chatter in the locker room warmed him, "Why the hell is Cor on your ass so much? You're the Prince's friend right? Shouldn't things be easier for you?"

Prompto just smiled as he tossed his work out clothes into his duffle to take home and wash. He knew Gladio had planned to have him practice his hand to hand this weekend and he'd be running everyday anyway. "It's because I am friends with the Prince that he's so hard on me. If something goes down I'm going to be there. I need to be quicker and faster to stop things before they get to him." He left them there with that thought and went to meet Ignis at his office.

"Prompto," Ignis looked up from his paperwork when the blonde knocked at his door. "How was training?"

Prompto smiled, "I think I'm getting the hang of it. Of course I'll say that and then Monday will roll around and everything will change and I'll be screwed again but hey."

Ignis smiled, that was exactly what the Glaive training had been like for him. He was quite proud of the blonde and told him often. "Let me tidy up here and we can head home for the night. I believe that you have a video game marathon tonight."

Prompto nodded, "Yeah, but Noct is at that dinner until eight so I have some time," they were planning a massive campaign on Kings Knight and it was all hands on deck. Even Gladio was planning on joining in. Their routine was a measure of comfort, back at the apartment Ignis took his briefcase to dining room while Prompto took his duffle bag straight to the laundry. "I'm going to wash my work out clothes, do you have anything you want washed?"

"Yeah, my Crownsguard bag has my work out clothes if you could wash them as well I'd appreciate it." The ringing of his phone had Ignis going back to his briefcase and rifling through the papers he had brought home.

Prompto walked into the other man's bedroom to find the bag and pull out his clothes to throw them in the wash. He wasn't trying to snoop but he and Ignis were close enough in size that he wanted to make sure that he knew what they both had in the wash so they didn't get the clothing mixed up. He took both duffle bags out onto the balcony to air out and put dryer sheet in their sneakers to help fight odor. Picking up his book bag he moved into the kitchen area. Ignis was still on the phone and it looked like he would there for a while. Prompto smiled. He put water on for tea and rice and pulled out the beef that was marinating in the fridge. Ignis was nothing if not predictable, he had the recipe he planned to use beside the stove. He'd start supper while Ignis was busy with crown business. Prompto lost himself in cooking, humming to himself. He fixed Ignis a cup of tea and set it at his elbow and went back to watching their meal. 

Ignis watched the way Prompto moved around the kitchen, he was slowly coming out his shell and making his presence felt in the rest of the apartment. He stopped hiding in his room when Gladio came by, he still didn't hang around for a long period of time but it was an improvement. Ignis noticed that Prompto still flinched once in a while at unexpected movements and he still had nightmares on occasion but Ignis thought he was getting stronger. 

Noctis was still his best friend. He didn't have the time or, quite frankly the energy, to go down a floor to play video games every night. The two teens kept to the same schedule they had when Prompto was living elsewhere. It was a relief to Ignis to see the two teens being sensible, at least most of the time.

*** 

Clarus had asked Gladio to join him as they watched the trainees practice with different weapons.

"Dad, what's up?" 

"Just watching the trainees for now. I wanted to see how Prompto was doing. How are things between the four of you?"

"Fine. Ignis and Prompto get along well, and he seems to handling things. Ignis has him seeing a therapist as well." After the debacle with Pelna, Gladiolus had to be debriefed by Cor and his father. Ignis hadn't wanted to tell Gladio all of what Prompto had gone through, but the omission was just as damning.

Clarus watched his son and looked back at the recruits. "Well he fits in just fine. I suppose both you and Ignis have been helping him with his course work. He isn't top of his class, but he's close. Cor says that he is the most consistent. I'm more interested in seeing how he does with the weapons. Cor says he's amazing with firearms. Nyx is calling him Sharp shooter." The pair watched as Prompto proceeded to out shoot everyone.

"How is he on the other weapons?" Gladio had told him to practice with a multitude of weapons, he knew the great sword was out just because of the size, but the there were other swords, daggers, lances and such weapons.

"Not bad. I'd say he was proficient, average at best. It's never going to be his weapon of choice, but at the same time he's comfortable with them." Clarus didn't have to say anything else to his son. They had both trained the same way, the demand to be proficient with any weapon or without one.


	8. Road Trip

The year went on and when Prompto finished his training, all three of them were there to see it. "Well, I guess this means we need to get you in Crownsguard training next week. I won't accept anyone else so you better not flunk out." Noctis punched Prompto's shoulder in camaraderie. 

Within the next three months High School had ended and both Noctis and Prompto graduated. Prompto was half way through his Crownsguard training and Noctis became officially engaged. 

Nifilheim attacked the outer boarders of Lucii and outcome wasn't pretty.

King Regis had a plan they would have time before he would need to implement it but he had a plan. There was time enough for Prompto to finish his training and choose his Crownsguard gear. 

There were moments when the four of them could relax. Camping and fishing. Video game tournaments and late nights talking about their hopes and dreams. Those were the memories they kept close. 

It was the year after Noctis and Prompti graduated from High School that their world was turned upside down. Nifilheim was coming to sign a treaty. No one trusted Nifilheim to keep their word.

"Pack for a road trip, we're Noctis entourage to get him to Lady Lunafreya. It should only take a week or two but you never know." Ignis was walking through his apartment, something was telling him that it'd be a long time before he'd be back. "If there's something that you absolutely can't live without, bring it."

Prompto looked up at that, they were supposed to be back in three weeks. What was Ignis talking about? The look on his friend's face was concerning, Ignis was scared. "As cheesy as it is, the only thing of importance I have aside from my camera is you three, and you'll be there." He watched as Ignis backed up his laptop to his phone and headed into his room to pack a bag. 

"What has you worried?" Prompto had never seen Ignis like this, even through his nightmares and their struggle to live together Ignis had been calm.

"I'm not sure," Ignis stopped to look around his apartment, "maybe it was the way Clarus worded the request, or the way the Marshal shook my hand but something feels off. Gladio feels it too. He told me he's packing camping gear. You have everything?" At Prompto's nod Ingis gave another order, "when we get to the citadel we need to run down to the armory and request a couple cases of shells for your hand guns. Can you you go downstairs and make sure that Noctis has packed?"

Prompto threw his backpack over his shoulder and took off.

Ignis walked around his living room, fingers trailing over books and shelves. He had worked hard to get where he was, stopping at a picture Prompto had taken of the four of them he realized just how right the blonde was. Sure he cherished his books and the items he had collected over the years, but the truly important thing in his life was the four of them. They'd get Noctis safely to Altissia and stay with him and Lady Lunafreya for as long as they could. Grabbing his own bag he headed down a floor to the Prince's apartment. Time for a road trip.


End file.
